The repetitive throbbing radiating throughout my left hand caused me to wake up from my surprisingly deep slumber.
I lifted up my aching hand that was rested against Jax's bare chest, staring at the sporatic cuts and forming bruises displayed across my knuckles.
If my hand looks this bad, I can only imagine how Ima's face looked.
Jax opened his tired eyes, looking down at Melanie, who was studying her injured hand.
"How's the hand," he asked in a groggy tone.
I put my hand down, turning my head in an upward direction to look at Jax.
"Nothing a little ice and Aleve can't fix," I responded with a smile, getting up from a horizontal position to straddle his sheet covered waist.
My fingers raked through his mildly knotted blonde locks, pulling his head forward to give him a kiss.
"How'd you sleep, darlin'?", his eyes running over every detail of my naked torso.
" I haven't slept that well in days. How 'bout you?"
"Same here. Though, I am a little sore. You wore your man out last night."
"Aww I'm sorry, baby. It's just that sweet little speech you gave me last night got me all kinds of hot and bothered."
" I didn't say all of that to get you in the sack, Mel. I really meant it. Nothing is going to change the way I feel about you, ever."
I shook my head in utter disbelief, knowing I will forever ask myself this question.
How in the hell did I manage to nab such a good man?
" What? Why are you looking at me like that, Mel?"
I leaned forward, resting my forehead against his.
"I got myself a good man. If only more men like you existed in this world, it would be a much better world."
Jax smiled, stretching his right arm out for his fresh pack of cigarettes , his nearly full ashtray, and a lighter on the night stand next to the bed.
" If there were more men like me, there would be more Gemmas. I don't know if the world could handle that. Everyone would be fuckin' running scared," he informed, removing a cigarette from the pack with his teeth.
He lit the cigarette with his silver lighter, tossing both the pack and lighter back on the nightstand.
I removed the cigarette from his mouth, bringing it to mine. I breathed in, holding the smoke in my lungs for a few seconds. I handed Jax his cigarette back, releasing the nicotine filled smoke from within my body.
"Time for us to start our day. I have to head home, change into a fresh set of clothes. Then, I'm going to reschedule my appointment with my doctor and visit Gemma, see how she's doing."
"It's time for me to find our boy. Me and the guys are going to meet up with Elliot Oswald. Hopefully, he'll lend us one of the thirty planes he owns."
"I really wish I could go with you."
"Trust me Mel, it'll be better for everyone if you stay here. Belfast is ten times more dangerous than Charming. I need my girl in one piece, not only for my sake, but for our son's , okay?"
"Okay.. I miss him so damn much," my voice cracked, a stray tear falling down my face before either of my hands could catch it.
"I'm.. I'm sorry. Jesus Christ, I never knew it was possible to cry this much in one week. Forget chemotherapy, I need something to hold these god damn tears at bay."
Jax grinned, placing his shrinking cigarette into the ashtray that was a few feet away from him. His strong arms wound themselves around my back, holding me flush against him.
"I miss him too, Mel. Don't worry, he'll be back home where he belongs before you know it."
I pulled out of his firm embrace, my fingers brushing against the ends of his growing beard.
"We'll have Abel home, but I'll lose you if you go away for the church assault. Call me selfish, but I want both of my boys home with me."
I entered the kitchen with my red hair damp from the shower, dressed in the clothes I wore yesterday.
Happy was sitting at the kitchen table with a sketch pad in front of him and a half empty bottle of Jack Daniels to his right.
"Mornin' Hap," I greeted, walking over to the refrigerator to start making some breakfast.
"Mornin' slugger. How's the hand?"
I turned away from the now open fridge, facing Happy.
"Hurts, but I should be back in fighting shape in no time."
Happy got up from the table with his sketch pad in hand, setting it down on the island that seperated the two of us.
He stretched out my arm, looking at my hand at every angle.
"Yeah, you're going to be fine. But Ima, not so much."
"What?"
"One of the croweaters that I'm hittin' is tight with Ima. She's currently in surgery to fix her mangled face."
"Holy shit.. I really didn't mean to beat the shit out of her. I let my anger seap its way through, and there was no going back."
"Fuck that, you shouldn't feel sorry for that bitch. She got what was coming to her. She tried fucking your husband and talked shit about your son. If I were you, I wouldn't stop until she was in the morgue."
"I'll keep that in mind, Hap. Hey, you hungry? I'm about to make Jax something to eat before I head home to get changed."
"No thanks. My breakfast is on that table," he turned his head, looking at the bottle of JD.
"Okay," I replied, turning one of the stove's dials, bringing a medium flame to the burner.
I put a frying pan sprayed with Pam cooking spray on top of the lit burner, cracking open four eggs from the plastic container I grabbed from the fridge.
"Mel, I have good news. I finished the sketch for your crow."
"You did? Can I see it?", I nearly squeaked with excitement.
Happy let a small smile cross his usually angry face. He handed me the sketch pad, revealing what my tattoo that will be located on my rib cage is going to look like.
It was a beautifully drawn large crow in mid flight, leaving pieces of feathers behind itself. Five of what would usually be feathers were smaller crows with the names Jackson and Abel written in perfect cursive inside the crows' bodies.
"This is just the first draft."
"Hap, this is perfect. I know Jax is going to love it. "
After I was thoroughly inspected for any potential weapons, I entered Gemma's hospital room, closing the door behind me.
My mother was already here, packing Gemma's things inside of her large tote.
"Mom, what are you doing here? Where's Gemma?", I asked, leaning against the rail at the foot of the hospital bed.
"Shh, keep it down, Mel."
Oh fuck. What is Gemma up to now?
Gemma came out of the bathroom completely dressed.
"Would someone like to tell me what the fuck is going on," I whispered.
"We're getting Gemma and you on Oswald's plane to Belfast," my mom answered non chalantly.
"Wait, what? I don't think I heard you correctly."
"Mel bear, I know you heard me just fine. Are you ready to hear the plan? I don't mean to be so pushy, but we are pissing away some precious time here."
I tore my eyes away from my mother and looked at Gemma.
"If it was any other woman with my son, I would want you to stay your ass here. But, when you're around my son Mel, he tends to think more clearly. He needs you there, no matter what he says."
Well, it looks like I got my wish. It looks like I'm going to Ireland after all.
"Start talking before I change my mind."
Sister Josephine, the youngest nun at the foster home, walked to a vacant bedroom down the hallway with a wailing Abel in her arms.
She and her fellow sisters have made every attempt to cheer the wee one up, but Abel was not having any of it.
Josephine sat down on the bed with Abel and began singing him multiple lullabies, praying to the heavens that one of them does the trick.
She was great with children. She was great with all of them except the one that was currently in her arms.
Meredith, one of the sisters that worked at the illegal foster home, quietly opened the shut door with a fresh bottle in her hands.
"No luck huh, Josephine?", she asked, feeling the headache Abel caused coming back again.
"No. I don't know what else to do. He's been crying himself to sleep since Father Ashby brought him here five days ago. Maybe we should call our local pediatrician to make sure everything's okay with him."
"I already did. He ran a series of tests on the little lad.. He said he's healthy. "
The machines next to Gemma in her hospital room began to go off as she began to suffer a siezure in her bed.
I threw open the hospital door, pushing the federal agent guarding the door out of the way, rushing to the main desk.
"Please, please, you have to help me. My mother-in- law is having some kind of seizure," I cried out in a panic, following the doctors and nurses back to Gemma's room.
Linda was quickly moved away from Gemma's side.
"What is happening to her? I thought you said she was fine," my mother questioned with fury erupting in her eyes.
"It could be a reaction to the new medication we perscribed to her. We have to get her into an ice bath. Her fever is up to 107," Her doctor stated, wheeling Gemma out of the room with the asistance of three nurses.
The federal agent trailed close behind the medical staff while my mother and I headed to the nearest hospital supply closet.
My mother pulled out her gun from her purse, switching the safety off.
A shaken nurse with long brown hair quickly gave us three white hospital coats and her card key.
"Not a word, right?" I'd hate to see anything happen to this beautiful family of yours," Linda stated, pulling out a picture of the nurse and her family along with her driver's liscense.
"I.. I.. swear, not a word. "
" Smart Girl," I chimed in, quickly shoving my arms through the medical coat I was handed, putting my hand on the closet door handle.
I turned back around, letting go of the door's handle.
I stepped closer to the nurse, causing her to step back until her back hit the wall.
"Oh, do you have the medication I asked you to fill also?"
She nodded, giving me a white plastic bag.
"It's a week's worth of medication."
"Thank you."
"Why are you doing all of this? Why the risk? "
" To have my family back in one piece," I gave her a small grin, opening the door to the supply closet with my mom exiting shortly after to avoid suspicion.
My mom and I shuffled to the service elevator on the opposite side of the hospital to meet Gemma.
"Who knew?"
"Who knew what, Mel?"
"Who knew that you packed some major brass balls in your designer suitcase when you came to visit?"
"Mel bear, don't be so impressed. This is Charming we live in. Over half these folks tend to piss themselves when they see a gun being waved around in their faces. Instead of putting up a fight, they bend any way you want them to. Plus being close to Samcro doesn't hurt your chances either."
"Now I see why you and Gemma are best friends. You two are definitely kindred spirits."
I pulled out my cellphone from my back pocket of my jeans, dialing Jax's number.
"Come on..Come on..."
Jax got out of the T-M tow truck, hearing his cellphone ring from his own pocket of his dark blue denim jeans.
He smiled at the name appearing on the screen, flipping open the phone.
"Hey baby."
"Hey, are you anywhere near the hospital?"
"Yeah, actually. Clay and I just pulled up. We're going to see Gemma before we head to Belfast. Is everything okay?"
"Yeah, I just need you to meet us at the service entrance. "
"Whoa, whoa, wait, what do you mean by us, Mel?"
"Jax, I'll answer any and all questions on the way to Oswald's plane."
"Me.."
Melanie ended the call before he could even object.
"Shit!", he cursed under his breath, ready to throw his phone across the fucking parking lot.
This was the last thing he needed right now.
Why can't Mel and his mother ever do what they are told?
Clay looked at his stepson with confusion.
"What's wrong?"
"My mother and my wife, that's what's wrong. Come on, we need to go 'round back to the service entrance."
After a good five minutes of waiting, Gemma finally emerged from around the corner.
"We were starting to get worried," my mother stated, handing Gemma her packed bag.
Alarms sounded off through the hospital.
"That's your cue. You both need to get the hell out of here now. Mel, your things are already on the plane. I had Miles, you know, one of the new prospects, drop your bag off shortly after this plan was put in motion."
"Thanks mom. love you," I threw my arms around her, kissing her on the cheek.
" I love you, sweetheart. "
Linda let go of her daughter, shifting her attention to her best friend.
"You go get our grandson back."
"We won't leave Belfast without him."
We pushed open the door to the service entrance with Jax quickly approaching the both of us.
Here we go. Get ready for the powder keg to explode.
"Are you two fucking insane? "
"Is that a rhetorical question?"
"Mom, you made a deal with the feds!"
"I don't give a shit! Those cuffs will be waiting for me when I get back."
Jax shut his eyes, roughly rubbing his forehead with his hand.
" You both have no idea what you just done."
"Yeah Jax, we're very well aware of what we just done. We'd do it again if we had to."
"Mel, we talked about this. Good old ladies do what they're told."
"And I told you there will be times I will go against your authority, whether you like it or not. Lord and behold, we have encountered one of those times."
"Don't even try to argue with these two, boys. It's useless," Tig suggested, leaning against the door of the tow truck.
" Jax, we're going with you. We have a ten hour flight ahead of us. You can scream and yell all you want on the plane."
Okay my readers, let me tell you , I constantlt went back and forth with whether I wanted my OC to go with the club to Belfast. But, I decided to make the bold move, and change it up a bit by having her go. I've read other SOA fanfics taking place in season 3 and they tend to have their OCs stay home. I might lose some favs or follows because of my decision, but that's okay :). I hope you enjoyed the new chapter!